When a star player accuses his general manager of fibbing and tells him to zip his yap, well, is there any arena on the face of the planet where two people at such loggerheads can possibly co-exist?

That is the pressing question in San Jose now that the ill-will brewing inside the Shark Tank has finally boiled over, with Doug Wilson and Joe Thornton featured in the main event.

Less than a year removed from having management rip the coveted 'C' off his chest, Jumbo Joe pulled no punches Friday when informed of Wilson's explanation to season ticket holders concerning why Thornton had been stripped of the captaincy in the first place.

"I think Doug just needs to shut his mouth," Thornton told David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News. "I think that's the bottom line.

"All I've got to say is, I've been here every day working hard. I haven't taken a sabbatical. He just needs to stop lying, shut his mouth."

Message received.

Thornton was reacting to Wilson's comments which came during a question-and-answer session with approximately 350 Sharks season-ticket holders Thursday night.

According to the Mercury News, Wilson responded to a fan's query about Thornton's leadership by saying: "He cares about the game so much. The reason we took the 'C' off him ... Joe carries the weight of the team on his shoulders. And he's got such a big heart that when stress comes on him, he lashes out at people and it kind of impacts them.

"The pressure and stress, I felt, was getting to Joe," Wilson continued. "And I sat him down and said we need other players to step up and share this. He got it. He didn't like it, but he got it and he understood it."

Wilson reportedly prefaced his answer by noting that he's a big Thornton fan, but that did little to appease Jumbo Joe, who lashed out at his GM.

For his part, Wilson said if Thornton has any concerns with him, he is available to discuss them.

"If he's got an issue, he knows exactly where I am, and I'll be glad to talk to him about it," Wilson told CSNCalifornia.com Friday. "There's zero issue here.

"I was asked a question at a season-ticket holder function, and my response was to do my job and be accountable to our season-ticket holders and tell the truth. It's nothing I haven't said before."

So, what now?

Despite repeating publicly that he wants the team to get younger, Wilson did not ask Thornton, 35, to waive his no-trade clause last summer. Nor did he make such a request leading up to the March 2 trade deadline.

A year ago, Thornton and Patrick Marleau were inked to extensions through 2016-17. During a one-on-one interview with QMI Agency earlier this season, he cited his desire to remain a Shark throughout the duration of the contract.

"That's my plan," Thornton said at the time. "I signed a three-year extension (worth US $20.25 million) last season in the intent to finish my career as a Shark."

Even if other teams make a grand pitch to woo him?

"Yes, that's still my intent (to stay)," he said.

But just how long will Thornton put up with this San Jose soap opera, one in which management last summer decided it no longer wanted him to be the captain?

Back in 2009, the Sharks had done the same thing to Marleau after losing in the first round of the playoffs despite being the No. 1 seed. Five years later, Thornton found himself experiencing a similar fate after the Sharks blew a 3-0 series lead in the opening round, en route to being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings last spring.

"The way it ended, I knew it would be a difficult summer," Thornton told QMI last October. "It was hard. Having the captaincy stripped away from you is always a tough thing to deal with. Losing four in a row stung a lot, obviously. Yeah, from a personal standpoint it was a very hard off-season.

"I did talk to Patrick. And he's like: 'I went through the same thing. The guys in the room don't think anything different of you. You just have to make sure that when camp comes around, you have to be physically and mentally prepared to start the season. You've got to train your butt off. And you've got to be mentally prepared to play hockey.'

"That was very good advice. Because once the season did start, you can be free out on the ice and that's very important as a hockey player."

Obviously not free enough.

This isn't the first time Thornton has received what could be perceived as a dig from management.

During an interview with Sportsnet's Hockey Central last month, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said that "... this year I believe we're better led than we were last year without having a 'C' on. And that's not an indictment on Joe Thornton by any means."

We're not sure Joe Thornton, a proud chap who is ticketed for the Hockey Hall of Fame, sees it that same way.

The bottom line: If the Sharks, who sat three points out of a playoff spot entering play Friday, don't reach the playoffs or get eliminated in the first round, heads likely will roll.

Question is, will it be Wilson? McLellan? Or Thornton, who might be frustrated enough to finally want out of the asylum despite the fact that he holds all the cards with his no-movement clause?